Raising my Hopes

I wanted to do a post to welcome 2012 and talk about my plans / expectations for the year, and then I came to title it, and the above seemed the most appropriate.  Only now I'm realising how weird it is that I'm letting my hopes get high (and please, let fate not be tempted!).

The past few years have been wonderful ones, but they've been hard too.  In 2011, my new year's resolution was to have a baby.  I succeeded!  I was, admittedly, fairly confident about that.  But I always knew that the transition to two children would be hard and that I didn't handle sleep deprivation well.  In 2010, I was trying to get and then stay pregnant, all the while keeping up with an increasingly active toddler.

However, my daughter's almost a year old now, and the 'one step at a time' mantra that I developed during the infertility period is on its way out.  Now I'm planning ahead, and I'm planning to enjoy this year.  All the more so because in 2013, I'll likely start working again, and my career will take priority for the first time since my son was born (and, honestly, since quite a bit before that).  This is the last year that I'll be a stay at home mother with all my time at my children's disposal.  Also, if I do go ahead with the Montessori qualification, that's going to mean a lot of work, so, like the past couple of years, 2013 stands to be wonderful but hard.

Therefore, 2012's going to be a sabbatical of sorts for me.  I remember one being a hugely fun age for my son, although hindered somewhat by my IVF and pregnancy, and I'm looking forward to reliving it with my daughter.  As for my son, now that he's turned three, it's very exciting to think that he'll carry memories of this year for the rest of his life.  That's definitely reason to give us all some good memories to share.

Happy new year to everybody else!  May 2012 be rewarding for us all!